Havana Syndrome Investigation Explored In Podcast & Docuseries From Project Brazen

Peter White
·2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Havana Syndrome, a medical condition allegedly affecting U.S. diplomats in countries such as Cuba, is to be explored in a new podcast and docuseries.

Nicky Woolf, a journalist who has worked for the Guardian and New Statesman and also hosted Audible’s Qanon podcast Finding Q, is hosting The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome, an eight-part podcast series.

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The show comes from Project Brazen and PRX with a documentary series also in the works from the former.

The podcast will launch on January 23. It will explore the events that began in December 2016, when a U.S. official in Havana went to the embassy medical center to report a debilitating and confounding illness that included headaches, nausea, hearing loss, and memory and vision problems. By summer 2017, dozens of U.S. and Canadian diplomats reported similar symptoms with most experiencing a buzzing, hissing or grinding sound – what was becoming known as Havana Syndrome.

Woolf will investigate the syndrome, which has confounded U.S. agencies. The U.S. Department of State said it was a “sonic device,” then rolled that back. The CIA have hinted microwave radiation might be involved. The FBI also denied its existence and now they seem to be rolling that back as well.

The series, which covers spycraft, technology, and the brain, will explore various theories and will feature interviews with diplomats, spies, neurologists, and physicists.

Project Brazen and PRX are producing in partnership with Goat Rodeo.

Project Brazen was launched by Pulitzer finalists Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, who previously worked together at the Wall Street Journal. The company, which is repped by UTA, has produced a number of podcasts including Fat Leonard, the U.S. Navy scandal, which is being adapted for television with Crazy Rich Asians co-writer Peter Chiarelli and SK Global.

The company’s head of unscripted Nicholas Brennan has been embedded with the podcast investigation for six months filming in multiple countries for the docuseries.

The Sound is produced by Max Johnston with Ian Enright and Megan Nadolski as senior producers. The show’s score is composed and performed by Attacca Quartet.

“This show has been incredibly exciting to report – and at times incredibly scary,” said Nicky Woolf. “I can’t wait for everyone to hear it.”

“Nicky Woolf is the master of taking audiences on wild journeys in search of the truth,” said Bradley Hope, co-founder of Project Brazen. “In The Sound, he shows just how deep the rabbit hole goes in this extraordinarily fascinating and important story.”

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